Jack's Exchange to University of Dundee | Scotland
My name is Jack Eaton and I studied abroad at the
University of Dundee in Scotland in Semester 2 of 2019. At Murdoch University,
I am studying Law.
The key factors for myself choosing to study at the University of Dundee were…
I wanted to study in the UK. The University of
Dundee had a great range of law units and ranks as one of the best for law in
the UK.
A little about the University of Dundee …
As a law student, Dundee is a great place to
study because of the student experience and teaching quality. I’m sure that
this is partly due to the Dundee Student Union, which is a 5 story building
consisting of multiple pubs, clubs and a cafe. I took two modules which was the
equivalent of 4 Murdoch units. My modules focused on international law,
European Union law and human rights law in Europe. The teaching quality was
first-class and I can honestly say that I got a lot out of the experience
academically. Perhaps the lack of
assessments was a (pleasant) surprise. Throughout the semester, I only had 2
exams and 2 assignments which was great. Similar to Murdoch, there is an
expectation that students prepare for their seminars and tutorials.
A little about the city I lived in, Dundee…
I
arrived in Dundee after a few weeks of soaking up the sun in Croatia. Dundee is
a small city of about 150,000 people, located about 1.5 hours by bus from
Edinburgh and about 2 hours from Glasgow. A high proportion Dundee’s population
are students. This is certainly one of the great parts about studying in
Dundee. Dundee is Scotland’s ‘sunniest city’. But don’t kid yourself, it still
rains a lot…
The best parts of my experience…
Within
a few hours of arriving, I was out having beers with my new flat mates from
Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States. I knew immediately that
I was going to get along well with them.
I
crammed as much as possible into my semester abroad. I visited Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Aberdeen, St Andrews, Dublin, Copenhagen, Newcastle, Manchester Loch
Ness and more. Perhaps the highlight was when my flat mates and I hired a car
for a road trip to the Isle of Skye. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking but
the company made the trip even better.
I managed to tick seeing an English Premier League game off my bucket list. My friends and I caught the train to see Newcastle v Bournemouth at St James Park. The atmosphere was electric and a different vibe to what I’m used to at an AFL game.
Some of the challenges about studying abroad…
I was
surprised that I was only a little homesick for a few days throughout the
entire experience at about the 3 month mark. The overcast weather, cold and
lack of daylight probably exacerbated it.
I dealt with it by trying to keep myself as busy as possible, whether
that was making dinner together with my friends or heading out of the flat for
the evening. Having a solid group of friends in Dundee also helped.
Nevertheless, I really didn’t get homesick much at all throughout my
experience.
A little about my accommodation whilst studying
abroad…
I
stayed at Heathfield - the university accommodation for exchange students
located directly across from the university. I would highly recommend staying
in university accommodation rather than private accommodation. It is much
easier to meet other students and immerse yourself in the experience. My
friends were mostly students staying at Heathfield and exchange students
studying law.
Funding my exchange experience…
I
funded my experience through the OS Help Loan and personal savings.
Advice I would give to someone considering
studying abroad…
I’d
highly recommend going on exchange, regardless of where you are thinking of
going. My advice would be to really make the most of the opportunity of living
without some of the commitments that usually take up your time back home (eg
work). I found that I had a lot of time because I wasn’t working, which was
great because I could travel and play sports that I wouldn’t usually commit to
at home such as squash.
- Jack studied abroad at the University of Dundee
in Scotland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murdoch University Study Abroad & Exchange - Outbound
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT US!
EMAIL: studyabroad@murdoch.edu.au
PHONE: +61 8 93607836
VISIT: Murdoch University, Student Centre, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA,
6150
FIND US!
WEBSITE:https://www.murdoch.edu.au/mymurdoch/support-advice/murdoch-experience/travel-while-you-learn
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/murdochoutbound
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/murdochoutbound
